By Njeri Dean
In the majority of work places, animals are not welcome. Many employees who have animals need to find pet-friendly places to take care of their furry friends while they are on the clock.
For the most part, animals like fish and birds can pretty much occupy themselves while their owners are away. For animals like dogs and cats it’s a different story, because for these types of animals, human companionship is vital for their survival and well being. Being alone for long periods of time can cause depression and destructive behavior.
It’s often a pet owner’s best interest to find someone like a neighbor or trusted friend to watch their animals. Even having an animal facility that has a day camp is a viable option for pet owners. But keep in mind that anything can happen while your pet is in the hands of somebody else.
Even though pet owners are grateful to have someone looking after their animals, a lot of things can go wrong. For example, the people who care for your animal might mismanage your pet’s medication and food intake.
Not providing the right amount of food when your animal is being fed can lead to results like obesity and drastic weight loss. Even worse, mismanaging medication for your pet can lead to your animal becoming sick and can potentially lead to death.
Another risk of leaving your animal in the care of somebody else is that your pet can get hurt. Their interacting with other pets is one way your pet can sustain an injury.
Pets have different personalities just like human beings. Some are shy, aggressive, or excitable. With a mix of personalities, some pets are bound to clash.
When your pet gets hurt, it’s not a fun experience for the people who are watching your pet or for you. That being said, there are lots of risks involved when it comes to leaving your pet behind.
Many people would love for their pets to come to work. Your job is not trying to punish you. In the long run, your employer is looking out for you and themselves, and there are a lot of risk factors when it comes to having pets in the workplace. These include sanitation, phobias of animals, and allergies.
In most workplaces, cleanliness is not negotiable. You have to look presentable and care about how you present yourself to the world.
Most workplaces have rules against pets because it contradicts their policy on cleanliness. Many animals can’t control when or where they relieve themselves. Knowing this, most workplaces know that pet waste can cause sickness and disease.
Having everybody in a workplace bringing their animals in can cause a sanitation hazard and a lot of sick employees.
The people working, and the customers encountered, also have different personalities and ways of thinking. Some people might be fond of pets, while others might be scared of pets.
Companies want their employees and clientele to be comfortable, but bringing in pets might make someone uncomfortable to the point where an employee is scared or unable to do their job, and a customer might not want to do business with that company.
Knowing this, companies cater to the needs of the employee and their customers for a better workplace with less complications. Lastly, most workplaces have to be aware of people with certain types of allergies. Just like peanut allergies, pet allergies can be fatal and make people sick.
For these specific reasons and others, most companies don’t allow pets in the workplace. If a company defied the rules, they could be sued by employees or customers, and nobody wants that to happen.
Don’t worry, though. The rules of animals in the workplace have lightened up over the years. Now that newer generations are entering the workforce, companies have eased the restrictions on people bringing in their pets to work.
With many young employees suffering from mental illness and stressors from everyday life, companies are relaxing the rules a bit for people to bring their pets into the workplace environment. What companies are discovering is that people are more productive and last longer while having their animals at the office.
More companies are also finding out that if they include health benefits and accommodations for pets in the workplace, the results are higher retention rates of employees and job satisfaction overall.
If you’re curious where your pet stands in the workplace, check with your boss and human resources. Every workplace environment is different. With more companies changing their tune to pets entering the workplace, more pet owners won’t have to worry about leaving their pets behind.
